Harbor Square conversation opened by Port officials

Published 8:07 pm Tuesday, May 11, 2010

EDMONDS — Port of Edmonds commissioners and staff began on May 5 what could well be a long process that will eventually lead to the redevelopment of the Harbor Square complex.

The timeline for decisions is open ended, said Bob McChesney, executive director of the Port. “This is the first step in a journey. There is much more to do. This is not the time when the Port would start to engage with the development community.”

Port commissioners took the tack of holding a public redevelopment workshop to engage the Edmonds community along with the private and public sector stakeholders.

“They wanted to explore what is feasible and acceptable and see what can be done before hiring any sort of consultant,” McChesney said. “We all need to share ideas. This is a conversation about the future. This is long-range planning with the value-added features being jobs and tax base.”

Port commissioners presented a variety of scenarios ranging from a one- and two-story retail-based complex, to mixed-use retail and residential forms in three-story form and a combination of four- and five-story guises.

Each plan put forward included a care plan to support the adjacent wetlands.

Audience comments ranged from how to attract start-up companies as tenants to questioning why any change is needed.

“Edmonds has an opportunity to do something so dynamic, economically and environmentally,” said Craig Stewart, one of the driving forces behind the citizens’ group Imagine Edmonds. “We will miss the boat if we don’t get out of our silos and work together to figure out ways to get citizens to comment on what the Port is attempting to do. There are incredible intellectual and financial resources in this community that are untapped.”

“We have a 25-year history (of tenancy),” Port Commissioner Bruce Faires said. He pointed to commercial tenants who have cited leaving due to the geographic location, leasing prices and the size of spaces available.

The current performance of Harbor Square is 70 percent occupancy. “That is the near-term outlook,” McChesney said. “For this process, we are looking at five to 20 years. A 30 percent vacancy is not what we want to achieve. The asset isn’t generating surplus revenue to take care of it. That is the economic reality.”

“If we do not take care of Harbor Square, it will become a slum,” Commissioner Fred Gouge said. He pointed out that the site is sinking into the marsh.

“These buildings were never built to last,” Commissioner Jim Orvis said. “They are tilt-up buildings and cost a lot to keep maintained. The property is being maintained, but it won’t sit here forever.”

“The purpose for this, and future meetings, is to entice the community to help sort things out before the buildings fall down,” McChesney said. “We have to work to find ideas that are acceptable to the community and economically viable.”